Newb Homebrewing Question

Hello all, I just started getting into brewing. My girlfriend gave me one of those Mr. Beer kits, which worked out OK. I more recently purchased a better kit (5 gal fermenter, carboy, etc) and went through the entire process of making beer without putting water in the airlock. As far as I know it did ferment because the gravity did fall a lot. Now, It's been sitting in bottles for 3 days now, you think it'll be OK?

For next time I would suggest still not putting water in the airlock. Some may consider it over kill, others consider it essential but I use vodka. It's sterile and if any goes into the fermenter I have only ever so slightly raised the ABV.

Also another fermenter tip, if you have access get a milk carton to put the glass carboy in to keep it safe. When you go to clean them you can flip the carboy upside in them to dry out. I used the extra space around the carboy to keep fermenter related stuff.

Also put a shirt or something over the carboy to keep light out. Light causes a reaction that turns iso-alpha-acids (bittering agent in hops) into 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (literally the chemical skunks spray). It can happen in as little as 30 seconds with a beer in your backyard.

Put it back, let it sit a few months. In the mean time brew some more. I have had many brews that were terrible at first but after 3-6 months it was fantastic. Take a beer out every other week or month and give it a shot. As long as its not sour, it will probably turn out great!

Assuming you sanitized everything else that came into contact with the beer (you did sanitze, right?), you should be fine. The airlock is there to keep the bad bugs and oxygen out. During the fermentation, the yeast is producing so much CO2, it is blowing out through the top of the carboy & airlock (and all the associated bugs with it). And since CO2 is heavier than air, you should have a layer of it in the carboy even after it stops vigorously fermenting.

Agreed, although after active fermentation, there's no positive pressure, and O2 can still find its way to the beer.

To the OP: Sure, it'll be fine. RDWHAHB and all that. There may be just a bit of oxidation, but in all likelihood, it'll be fine. I'd that the worst that would probably happen would be that it doesn't age as well as it might otherwise have aged... which just means that you might need to drink more beer and start on your next batch sooner! ;-)

Think about this: If beer were really easy to fuck up, it wouldn't have been made so long ago!

As far as I can tell I did sanitize. Diluted those special sanitizer packets and scrubbed with a soft new rag. I didn't even think about the positive pressure. I just figured that little loose cap on the airlock would lay low if there wasn't any CO2 escaping, and hence keep bad air out. Didn't think I should put water in it. Only thing that worries me still is I kept it in the primary for 3+ days, as the recipe said. When I siphoned it into the carboy, it still grew a thick foam at the head of the beer. To my understanding that shouldn't happen in secondary fermentation.

thanks for the advice. ill be more patient with the 1st stage fermenting with this dark ale im brewing now. hopefully it comes out better. had one of the beer in questions last night. Extremely carbonated and extremely hoppy. Not a big fan, but I gotta give it a home.

The gravity at the start was 1.068. The gravity before dry hopping it was 1.022 (two days in a row). According to the recipe, the target range for the final gravity was suppose to be between 1.014-1.017.

The instructions say the Starting Gravity is suppose to be in the starting range 1.059 to 1.069. So I guess I made it right. It's a wheat beer with orange peel, coriander, and a large vial of Belgian Wit Ale Yeast. Pretty cloudy and thick.

A lot of homebrewers are overly paranoid when it comes to sterilization. It's probably ok. If you didn't see any funny colored bacterial colonies when you bottled, and the beer doesn't smell like a three-day-dead dog, you're doing ok. Just be a little more careful next time.

I have always used a blow off or straight air lock and never had a problem. Did you taste your beer before bottling? As long as everything was sanitized before the start of the fermentation you should be fine. The pressure from the CO2 from the yeast and then the alcohol created should be enough to keep the fermenting wort safe. Also before you bottled did you reach a consistent final or terminal gravity? Just want to make sure you are not still fermenting when you bottle. I would not worry too much Mr. Beer does a pretty good job getting you into good practices and your first couple batches are always stressful. Let us know how it turns out.

Once it has had time (2-3 weeks) to properly carbonate, store in your fridge for a few days or longer before you serve it and that should make much of the gunk precipitate down to the bottom. Just be careful when pouring and you shouldn't have a problem.